Wednesday, October 2, 2013

"not expecting any immediate impact on any of our programs during the short term"

Confirmation today from Chief Financial and Operations Officer Brian Allen that we are okay short term in the shutdown:

In summary, MA DESE indicated that the majority of the federal awards was appropriated last year by the federal government and has been fully authorized the federal cash draw system. The only exceptions are the October 2013 installments for Title I, Title IIA, IDEA, and Perkins awards and Nutrition awards. If there is a delay in receiving the October award letters, there will be a corresponding delay in ESE's ability to increase the current grants to LEAs to the full year amount. USED has announced it is prioritizing the obligation of their October installments and we are hopeful that districts will not experience a disruption of their full 2013-14 school year awards.

With regards to Head Start, their notification indicates that they will continue processing grant drawdown request during the shutdown. Since we have received our grant award for this year prior to the gap in funding, we may continue to draw funds from prior awards during an appropriations lapse.

Therefore, we are not expecting any immediate impact on any of our programs during the short term. If the federal government shutdown is prolonged (several months), this may pose funding challenges in the future.

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A note

What is posted on who-cester is my work and my views; what is posted here does not necessarily represent the views of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (for whom I work as a field director). You'll need to look at masc.org for that.

The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Chapter V, Section II.

Wisdom, and knowledge, as well as virtue, diffused generally among the body of the people, being necessary for the preservation of their rights and liberties; and as these depend on spreading the opportunities and advantages of education in the various parts of the country, and among the different orders of the people, it shall be the duty of legislatures and magistrates, in all future periods of this commonwealth, to cherish the interests of literature and the sciences, and all seminaries of them; especially the university at Cambridge, public schools and grammar schools in the towns; to encourage private societies and public institutions, rewards and immunities, for the promotion of agriculture, arts, sciences, commerce, trades, manufactures, and a natural history of the country; to countenance and inculcate the principles of humanity and general benevolence, public and private charity, industry and frugality, honesty and punctuality in their dealings; sincerity, good humor, and all social affections, and generous sentiments among the people.(John Adams, 1779)